explicavsexplicarConfusable pair

Which to use

“explica” and “explicar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,677
“explica” frequency rank
#1,850
“explicar” frequency rank
3527
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature explica explicar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de explicar. Declarar, exponer una persona lo que piensa.

Where the eye mixes explica and explicar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
explica
8 ch
explicar

Why the eye confuses explica with explicar

A purely visual mix-up. explica ([eksˈplika]) and explicar ([ekspliˈkaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “explica” sits inside “explicar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3527, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

explica is recorded at frequency rank #1,677, classified as averb, pronounced [eksˈplika]. explicar is at rank #1,850, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekspliˈkaɾ].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 3527, this pair ranks #318,116 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of explica vs explicar

Shared letters: aceilpx. Private to "explica": -. Private to "explicar": r.

"explica" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV  ·  "explicar" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • explicaepxlica · exlpica · expilca · explcia · expliac · explicca · expllica · expplica
  • explicarepxlicar · exlpicar · expilcar · explciar · expliacr · explicarr · expliccar · explicra

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "explica" and "explicar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eksˈplika] versus [ekspliˈkaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "explica" vs "explicar" - which ranks higher?
"explica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,677 in our Spanish list, against #1,850 for "explicar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "explica" and "explicar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "explica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "explicar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #318,116 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "explica" and "explicar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expira vs explica". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #318,116 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list